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GOVERNOR WILLIAM SHIRLEY, UNDER WHOSE ADMINISTRATION THE 
FIRST PARISH WAS INCORPORATED, 



THE FOUNDERS 

of the 

THE FIRST PARISH 

DOVER, MASSACHUSETTS 



With Descriptions of All the Houses Now 

Standing which were Built Before 

the Revolution 



By FRANK SMITH 

n 
Author of the History of Dover 



Printed by the First Parish 
1908 



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REPRODUCTION OF THE MAP OF 1794, ON WHICH ARE LOCATED THE HOMES OF THE 
FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 



The Founders of the First Parish 



THE founders of the Dover First Parish^ were a company 
of men who were descended from those who were identi- 
fied with the beginnings of American history,- and who 
resisted what they beHeved to be tyranny in church and state. 
For this cause they crossed stormy seas and estabhshed a gov- 
ernment here in accordance with constitutional Hberty. The 
influence of a church covering more than a century and a 
half of active service cannot be measured, cannot be weighed. 
It is. a silent influence which has left its imprint on the life 
of the inhabitants, instructing the children, training the youth, 
enriching the lives of the people, and withal making the town 
a better place in which to dwell. 

"The task of keeping and preserving our institutions," 
said the Hon. George F. Hoar, "sometimes seems to me even 
harder than that of establishing them. What the future may 
have in store for our children we do not know. What luxury 
may tempt them, what irreligion or superstition may assail 
them, what new races may overflow them, we cannot tell. 
But I believe that the institutions our ancestors planted are 
to abide. Puritan faith, Saxon reverence for law. New Eng- 
land love of liberty, will leaven the whole lump. The church 
and the school and the town, which in their simplicity have 
outlasted so many thrones and kingdoms, will continue." 

The history of the church is the early history of the town. 

^This parish was established November i8, 1748, having been 
previously for nearly twenty years a precinct in Dedham. While a 
precinct the residents were assigned by the General Court to the 
churches in Medfield, Natick, and Needham, where they worshipped 
and paid their ministerial tax. The first meeting-house was raised 
August 30, 1750, and dedicated in December, 1754, although not fully 
completed before 1760. The church connected with the parish was 
organized on Sunday, November 7, 1762. 

^While the descent of Jabez Wood and John Griggs has not been 
traced, for lack of data, yet there is no reason to doubt that they too 
were of Puritan ancestry. 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

On the earliest plan that has come down to us, that made in 
1794, the "meetinp; house," as the accompanying' map shows, 
was the only bui'ding designated. This building was the 
centre of all activities. 

In the years to come many persons will visit this parish 
to see where their ancestors, the founders of the following 
American families, set up their homes, namely : Henry Wil- 
son, James Draper, Andrew Dewing, Thomas Battle, and 
Nathaniel Chickering, all of whom had original settlements 
within the present bounds of Dover. This little book will 
enable all such, as well as the descendants of the founders of 
the parish, to locate the early homes of their ancestors. 

SAMUEL METCALF, who headed the petition made to the 
General Court March 30, 1748, asking for the incorporation 
of what is now the First Parish of Dover, was bom in Med- 
way, Jan. 31, 1714-15. He was a son of Samuel and Mehit- 
able Metcalf, and was descended in the fifth generation from 
Michael Metcalf, a dornick weaver who fled to this country 
from persecution, and was admitted to the Dedham settle- 
ment in 1637. Samuel Metcalf settled the estate on Farm 
Street now owned by Benjamin C. Dorr, in 1742. He was a 
prominent citizen, a member of the first board of precinct 
officers, and one of the committee appointed in 1749 to build 
the first meeting-house. He had a wife Sybil. Children: 
Samuel, Nathan, Lois, Mary, Sybil, Mehitable, Olive, Bulah. 
The date of his death is unrecorded ; administration was 
granted on his estate in 1772. 

JOSHUA ELLIS was born Dec. 31, 1703, on the Ellis home- 
stead on Haven Street, in a house which stood on the north 
side of the street, (Wotton farm), the site of which can still 
be seen. He was the son of Eleazer and Mehitable (Thurs- 
ton) Ellis, and was descended in the fourth generation from 
Samuel Ellis, who emigrated to America about 1635. Joshua 
Ellis had land from his father's estate and built a house on 
the farm of the late Mrs. Cordelia Wotton on Haven Street 
in 1732. He was a deacon in the Needham First Parish 
Church, and a- prominent man in the Dover parish ; being a 
member of the first precinct committee and moderator and 
clerk of the first parish meeting. He donated in 1763 land 
for the First Parish schoolhouse, which was located on the 
present grounds of the First Parish near the railway station. 
He was for several winters the master of the Springfield Par- 

2 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

ish School. He is believed to have also given the site^ of the 
first meeting-house. He had a wife Elizabeth. Children: 
Ebenezer, Elizabeth, Betty, Abigail, Meletiah, Mehitable,^' 
Caleb, Rebecca, Joshua, Mercy, Mary, Rebecca. He died in 
1783 and is buried in Dover. 

HEZEKIAH A"LLEN, Jr., was born on the Pegan Hill farm 
(now owned by Robert S. Minot) on Pegan Street, April 15, 
1724. He was the son of Hezekiah and Mary (Draper) Allen 
and was descended in the fourth generation from James Allen 
who settled in Dedham in 1635, and was later one of the 
founders of Medfield. Hezekiah Allen, Jr., had land from his 
father's estate on Farm Street, (now a part of the Dorr farm) 
on which he built a house in 1749; his barn stood on the oppo- 
site side of the road near a well, which still exists, on the es- 
tate of Mrs. Charles Higbee. Mr. Allen was elected to many 
offices of trust and honor and served on many committees. 
He taught the parish school in the winter of 1772-3. ^^ He 
was a member of the committee appointed in 1767 to "seat 
the meeting-house." He marched at the Lexington Alarm, 
April 19, 1775. Mr. Allen married in 1745 Jemima, daugh- 
ter of Timothy and Jemima (Ware) Kingsbury of Needham; 
married secondly in 1757, Mary, daughter of William and 
Hannah (Chenery) Peters of Medfield. Children: Timothy, 
Jemima, Rachel, Susa, Hezekiah, Calla, Zilla, Hezekiah Pe- 
ters, Perez, William Pitt, Hitta, Calvin, Polly, Patty, Morrill. 
He died July 12, 1798, and is buried in Dover. 

EBENEZER NEWELL was born in Needham Jan. 4, 171 1- 
12, and was the son of Josiah and Hannah (Fisher) Newell. 
He was descended in the fourth generation from Abraham 
Newell, who settled in Roxbury in 1634. Ebenezer Newell lived 
for many years on the Joshua L. Woodward farm on Straw- 
berry Hill, which he purchased in 1748. In 1769 he sold the 
farm to Jabez Baker and returned to Needham. He was by 
tradition the landlord of the parish tavern and the proprietor 
of the village store. If so it was probably during Col. Daniel 
Whiting's absence in the Continental Army, 1 775-1781. He 

iThe first meeting-house stood where the Evangelical Congrega- 
tional Chapel now stands. 

zMehitable Ellis has the distinction of being the first woman to 
teach a winter school in Dedham, as Miss Mary Green has the dis- 
tinction of being the first woman to teach a school in Dedham. Both 
taught the Dover parish school. 

3 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

married Oct. 7, 1735, Elizabeth, daughter of John and Abi- 
gail Bullard; married secondly in 1753 Elizabeth, daughter of 
Hezekiah and Mary (Draper) Allen. Children: Ebenezer, 
Hannah, Theodore, Elizabeth, Susanna, Mehitable, Reuben, 
Mary, Abigail, Olive, Lois, Rebecca, Hannah. He died in 
Needham Oct. 18, 1796, and is buried in that town. 

THOMAS MERRIFIELD was an early resident in the 
Springfield Parish, but the date of his settlement here is un- 
known. He is believed to have been descended in the fourth 
generation from Henry Merrifield who was living in Dor- 
chester in 1641. The house of Thomas Merrifield, with that 
of his son Timothy, are the only houses in Dover that have 
not been definitely located from the first settlement of the town 
in 1640. He had a house lot of one acre somewhere on the 
Draper estate on Main Street, near Pegan Street. (John A. 
Knowles estate). He had a wife, Mary. Children: Sarah, 
Timothy, Asaph, Phebe, Hannah, Simeon, Abraham, Mabel. 
The family disappeared from the parish before the Revolu- 
tion. 

JONATHAN BATTLE was born on the Jonathan Battle 
farm (George H. Thompson's), at the corner of Main and 
Haven Streets May 30, 1724. He was a son of Jonathan and 
Elizabeth (Barber) Battle, and was descended in the fourth 
generation from Thomas Battle, the emigrant, who lived on 
the Clay Brook road, having acquired the little farm of An- 
drew Dewing. The cellar hole of his house can still be seen 
on the west side of Trout Brook, near the picnic grounds of 
the late Benjamin N. Sawin. Mr. Battle was a farmer. He mar- 
ried Jan. 2, 1754, Love, daughter of Mark and Tabitha (Mel- 
len) Whitney. Child: Timothy. He made a will May 4, 
1758, which was probated in 1759. In this will he makes a 
bequest to his wife as follows: "My will is that my wife have 
a Negro Boy which I have of about three years and seven 
months old ; one cow, etc." Jonathan Battle is buried in 
Dover. 

RALPH DAY was born on the Day farm on Dedham 
Street, foot of Strawberry Hill Street, on June 19, 1717. He 
was the son of Ralph and Mary (Onion) Day, and was 
descended in the fourth generation from Ralph Day, the emi- 
grant, who was admitted a freeman in Dedham January i, 
1645. Ralph Day lived on the homestead. (The late Daniel 

4 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

F. Mann farm). He was a prominent citizen and served the 
parish on many committees. He marched at the Lexington 
Alarm. During the period of the RevoUition he represented 
Dedham in many important affairs. He was a delegate ap- 
pointed by the town to attend the convention held at Wood- 
ward's Tavern in Dedham, September 6, 1774. This was the 
convention which three days later at Milton passed the cele- 
brated Suffolk Resolves which have been called the spark 
which kindled the Revolution. When on the first Sunday in 
November, 1762, the church of the First Parish was organized 
Ralph Day was chosen a deacon^, an office which he held dur- 
ing the remainder of his life. He married, Apr. 26, 1739, 
Mary, daughter of Eleazer and Mary (Crosby) Ellis. Chil- 
dren : ]\Tartha, Ralph, Mary, John, Alercy, Ralph. He died 
in Dover, where he is buried. 

JOHN DRAPER was born on his grandfather's farm, the 
original James Draper place on Farm Street, Feb. 20, 1690. 
He was the son of John and Abigail (Mason) Draper, and 
:was descended in the third generation from James Draper, the 
Puritan, v/ho came with his wife Miriam to America about 
1650, and six years later took up his residence in the west 
part of Dover. John Draper was a farmer, and settled the 
farm owned by the late William Whiting on Springdale Ave- 
nue. He built his house there in 1724, in which year he mar- 
ried Maria, daughter of Thomas and Abigail Hall of Dedham. 
Children : John, Mary, Thomas, Moses, Jonathan, Maria, Su- 
sanna, Abigail, Joseph. He died April 13, 1766, and is buried 
in Dover. 

SAMUEL CHICKERING was born on the Chickering 
settlement on Dedham Island, Feb. 14, 1689. He was the son 
of Nathaniel and Lydia (Fisher) Chickering, and was de- 
scended in the fifth generation from Stephen Chickering, who 
died in England in 1576. Samuel Chickering was a farmer 
as well as cordwainer and settled in 1720 the Powisset farm 
on Powisset Street, owned by the late Bernard Post. He 
served on important committees of the parish. When in 
order to aid the organization of the First Parish Church, the 
town of Dedham in 1748, granted 18 acres of land on Wal- 
pole Street, several individuals added to this grant, making 
a total of nearly 28 acres, which is still the Parish "wood 
lot." Mr. Chickering's contribution was laid out on the orig- 
^See Appendix. 

5 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

inal right of Jeremiah Fisher. He married in 1720, Mary, 
daughter of Henry and Mary (Allen) Harding of Medfield. 
Children: Samuel, Samuel, Mary, Abigail, Henry, Sarah, De- 
sire. The date of his death is not recorded. Administration 
was granted on his estate July 2, 1779. He is buried in 
Dover. 

JOSIAH ELLIS was born on the Ellis homestead on 
Haven Street Sept. 13, 1691. He was the son of Eleazer and 
Mehitable (Thurston) Ellis, and was descended in the fourth 
generation from Samuel Ellis, the emigrant. Josiah Ellis 
settled the George D. Hall farm on Walpole Street in 1728. 
He had a wife, Dorcas. Children : Priscilla, Elizabeth, Kezia, 
Josiah, Mary, Estha, Dorcas. He died June i, 1751, and is 
buried in Dover. 

JONATHAN DAY was born on the Day homestead on 
Dedham Street Dec. 22, 1719-20. He was a son of Ralph 
and Martha (Battle) Day, and was descended in the fourth 
generation from Ralph Day who was an early settler in Ded- 
ham. Jonathan Day settled in 1743 the farm on Dedham 
Street now owned by George D. Burrage. He was a promi- 
nent citizen, and a member of the committee chosen in 1749 
to prepare timber for a meeting-house. He was called to 
Boston Aug. 30, 1774, to serve as a grand juror, but like 
other patriots of the times, refused to serve in open court. 
He took part at the Lexington Alarm. He married, July 7, 
1743, Hannah, daughter of Ebenezer and Abigail (Allen) 
Battle, who died in 1775 ; married secondly, 1780, Lydia, 
daughter of Thomas and Lydia Metcalf of Medway, who died 
Feb. 25, 1781 ; married thirdly. Prudence, daughter of Eben- 
ezer Draper and widow (i) of Capt. Ebenezer Battle and 
(2) of Joshua Whiting of Dedham. Children: Jonathan, 
Hannah, Ebenezer, Thomas, Sarah, David, Rebecca, Olive, 
Jabez. He sold his farm in Dover in 1779 and moved to 
Oxford, Mass., where he died Jan. 4, 1802. 

NATHANIEL WILSON was born on the Wilson home- 
stead on Wilsondale Street Jan. 18, 1698-9. He was the son 
of Ephraim and Rebecca Wilson and was descended in the 
third generation from Henry Wilson who came to America 
from Kent, England, and settled on this farm, in 1640. When 
the First Parish was organized in 1748, Nathaniel Wilson 
axlded 15 rods of land to the grant made by the town of Ded- 

6 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

ham to the Dover Congregational Church, which was laid 
out on the original right of his ancestor, Henry Wilson. Mr. 
Wilson lived on the homestead and married, in 1733, Lydia, 
daughter of Nathaniel and Lydia Richards, who died Oct. 
7, 1740; married secondly, 1745, Mrs. Hannah Haslop. Chil- 
dren : Rachel, Rebecca, Ephraim. His will was probated 
Apr. 24, 1787, but his death is not recorded. 

EZRA GAY, son of Stephen and Sarah Gay^ was born 
in Dedham Feb. 19, 1721, being descended in the fifth genera- 
tion from John Gay, who emigrated to America about 1630 
and subsequently settled in Dedham. Ezra Gay marched at 
the Alarm at Bunker Hill June 17, 1775, also served at Ticon- 
deroga in 1776. He married, in 1753, Elizabeth Fisher, who 
died (it is believed without issue) in 1776. Mr. Gay is be- 
lieved to have lived on Strawberry Hill. 

TIMOTHY ELLIS was born Sept. 14, 1724, on his 
father's farm on Dedham Street (the Rev. Benjamin Caryl 
place, where he settled in 1718.) He was the son of Eleazer, 
Jr., and Mary (Crosby) Ellis, and was descended in the fifth 
generation from Samuel Ellis, who emigrated to America 
about 1635. He had a wife, Elizabeth. Children: Timothy, 
Caleb, Benjamin, Joshua, Elizabeth, Julietta, Eleazer. The 
date of his death is unknown. 

THOMAS BATTLE was born on the Jonathan Battle 
homestead on Main Street (George H. Thompson's farm), 
Jan. 5, 1725. He was the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth 
(Barber) Battle, and was descended in the fourth generation 
from Thomas Battle. He married, Oct. 9, 1750, Deborah 
Dunton of Dedham. Children : Bula, Elizabeth. He settled 
first in Natick, then in Boston, and later in Dublin, N. H. 

JONATHAN BULLARD was born, June 13. 1703, on 
the homestead on County Street, which was settled by his 
father in 1701. He was the son of John and Abigail (War- 
ren) Bullard and was descended in the fourth generation from 
John Bullard who was one of the original signers of the Ded- 
ham Compact. He took the freeman's oath in Dedham in 
1640, and later joined the Medfield enterprise. Jonathan Bul- 
lard's house was located north of his father's on County Street 
(Charles J. Bradbury farm), and has long since been re- 
moved. He married in 1748 Anna Perkins. Children: Jo- 

7 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

siah, Asa, Anna. He sold his farm in 1762 and moved from 
the parish. 

THOMAS RICHARDS was born in Dedham Oct. 3, 1718. 
He was the son of Edward and Sarah (Wheeler) Richards 
and was descended in the fourth generation from Edward 
Richards who arrived in America in 1632 and settled in Ded- 
ham in 1636-7. Mr. Richards settled the farm on Strawberry- 
Hill Street, now owned by Richard W. Hale, in 1748. He 
married, Nov. 17, 1748, Rebecca, daughter of Nathaniel and 
Joanna (Ellis) Whiting, who died in 1779; married secondly, 
1783, Nancy Swift. Children: Richard, Rebecca, Edward, 
Catherine, Olive, Chloe. He died Mar. 8, 1791, and is buried 
in Dover. 

SETH MASON was born on the Mason homestead (Philip 
Gardner estate) on Farm Street, Feb. 19, 1701. He was the 
son of John and Elizabeth Mason, and was descended in the 
third generation from John Mason of Dedham. Seth Mason 
was a farmer and inherited the homestead, which was one 
of the early settled farms in Dover. He married, June 27, 
1734, Rebecca Andrews. Children: Seth, John, Judith, Re- 
becca, Phebe, Mehitable, Seth, Moses, Simeon. He died in 
1756, and is buried in Dover. 

JOSEPH CHICKERING was born on the Chickering 
homestead on Haven Street May 5, 1717. He was the son 
of Nathaniel and Mary (Thorp) Chickering, and was de- 
scended in the third generation from Nathaniel Chickering. 
He had a farm from his father's estate which was a part of 
the original Chickering homestead, on which he built a house 
in 1747. His house is still standing on what is known as the 
Glassett place. He was a prominent citizen and a member 
of the first precinct committee. He married, Feb. 7, 1743-4, 
Rebecca Newell. Children : Experience, Rebecca, Joseph, 
Joseph, Jabez, Deborah. He died Nov. 28, 1754, and is bur- 
ied in Dover. 

ELIPHALET CHICKERING was born on the Chickering 
homestead on Haven Street November 24, 1707. He was the 
son of Nathaniel and Mary (Thorp) Chickering, and was de- 
scended in the third generation from Nathaniel Chickering. 
His estate consisted of fifty-five acres and included the farms 
of Allen F. Smith and Eben Higgins. His house was located 

8 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

on the Higgins farm. He sold one-half interest in his farm 
in 1758, exempting the burying ground and his smith's shop, 
and has not since been traced. 

JABEZ WOOD appeared in Dedham about the time of 
the organization of the parish. He married Hannah, widow 
of Caleb Ellis, and lived on the original Ellis homestead on 
Haven Street. He died May 3, 1752, and is buried in Dover. 

OLIVER BACON was born on the John Bacon home- 
stead (Benjamin N. Sawin and E. T. Phipps farms) on the 
Clay Brook road Oct. 19, 1724. He was the son of John and 
Abigail Bacon and was descended in the fourth generation 
from Michael Bacon who settled in Dedham in 1640. Oliver 
Bacon married, Oct. 12, 1749, Sarah Hawes of Needham and 
later, with several other residents of the parish, settled in 
Natick. 

JOHN BACON was born in the Springfield Parish Jan. 
31, 1693. He was the son of John and Lydia (Dewing) Bacon, 
and was descended in the third generation from Michael 
Bacon. John Bacon attended church at Natick, but did not 
oppose, like his brother Michael, the organization of the 
Springfield Parish. Michael Bacon, whose farm adjoined 
that of his brother's, (Charles M. Beldon's place), very 
strenuously opposed the organization of the Dover Parish. 
He attended church at Natick, and for this reason remon- 
strated against forming the parish before the General Court. 
John Bacon was a farmer and lived on the E. T. Phipps farm, 
on the Clay Brook road. He married, first, Elizabeth — and 
secondly Lydia. Children : Rebecca, Oliver, Elizabeth, John, 
Richard, Jeremiah, Hannah, Joseph, Mary, Abigail. He died 
Nov. 3, 1749, and is buried in Dover. 

JOSEPH DRAPER was born June 3, 1699, on the orig- 
inal Draper homestead, which extended from Natick to the 
Medfield line, the house being located on the extreme south- 
erly part of the farm. Joseph Draper was the son of John 
and Abigail (Mason) Draper, and was descended in the third 
generation from James Draper who came to America in 1650 
and first settled in West Roxbury. About 1656 he settled 
in that part of Dedham which is now Dover, where he lived 
for many years. John Draper built in 1725 on the farm of 
the late William Slavin (Charles A. Knowles estate) on Farm 

9 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

Street. It is believed that the house now standing is the one 
built by Mr. Draper. He served on important committees; 
was one of the committee appointed to erect the first meeting- 
house, and was also a member of the first precinct committee. 
He married, Jan. 27, 1725, Deborah, daughter of Samuel and 
Deborah (Lovell) Ellis. Children: Deborah, Hannah, Olive, 
Joseph, James, Sarah. He is buried in Dover, but the date 
of his death is unrecorded. The original James Draper 
estate included the farm of the late G. D. Everett. 

BENJAMIN ELLIS was born on the Ellis homestead on 
Haven Street, Nov. 14, 1699. He was the son of Eleazer and 
Mehitable (Thurston) Ellis, and was descended in the fourth 
generation from Samuel Ellis, who came to America in 
1635. Benjamin Ellis settled in 1727 the farm of the late 
Thomas Coughlan on Walpole Street. Mr. Ellis did import- 
ant committee work in the parish. He married, Jan. 28, 
1728, Eleanor Cook of Needham. Children: Eleanor, Ben- 
jamin, Robert. He died Mar. 31, 1750, and is buried in 
Dover. 

DAVID WIGHT was born on his father's farm on Ded- 
ham Street (opposite the house of Edmund K. Dandrow) 
Mar. 28, 1718. He was the son of David and Sarah (Day) 
Wight and was descended in the fourth generation from 
Thomas Wight who first appeared in Watertown in 1635 ^^^ 
settled in Dedham in 1637. David Wight, Jr., married, Oct. 
27, 1745, Sarah Scott of Wrentham. Children: David, John, 
Esther. Mr. Wight lived on the homestead on Dedham 
Street, where he died Apr. i, 1752, and is buried in Dover. 

JOHN CHENEY was born in Newton Jan. 10, 1704. He 
was the son of John and Elizabeth Cheney and was descended 
in the fourth generation from John Cheney who settled in 
Roxbury in 1635, ^"^1 the next year moved to Newbury. John 
Cheney was a farmer and lived on the Mrs. Mary Skimmings 
place on Main Street on which he settled in 1735. The first 
mention of the building of a road in the Springfield Parish 
was made in the vote of the parish in 1762 "to pay Hezekiah 
Allen his charge for building a road from the burying place 
past the meeting-house to the house of John Cheney." He 
sold his place in 1762 to Jesse Knapp, and moved from town. 
He married, Apr. 24, 1729, Lydia, daughter of William and 
Sarah Burrage. Children: Lydia, John. He died Jan. 19, 
1789, but the place of his burial is unknown. 

10 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

JOHN CHICKERING was born on the Chickering home- 
stead on Haven Street, August 23, 171 5. He was the son of 
Nathaniel and Deborah (Wight) Chickering and was de- 
scended in the third generation from Nathaniel Chickering. 
He settled in 1767 the farm of the late Patrick Slavin on 
Farm Street. He had a wife, Mary ; married secondly, Jan. 
9, 1766, Elizabeth Gay. Mrs. Chickering taught the parish 
school in 1772. Children: John, Samuel, Abigail, Timothy, 
Samuel, Molly, Oliver, Abner. His grandson Jonas Chick- 
ering was the original manufacturer of the celebrated Chick- 
ering pianoforte, a piano which is known today in two hemi- 
spheres. He is buried in Dover, but the date of his death is 
not recorded. His will was probated Jan. 10, 1774. 

JOHN BATTLE was born April 30, 1 7 18, on the John 
Battle homestead on Main Street (Farrington farm, owned 
by the late John S. Damrell.) He was the son of John and 
Abigail (Draper) Battle, and was descended in the fourth 
generation from Thomas Battle. He inherited his father's 
farm. When the First Parish meeting-house was built he 
made a determined effort to have it located near the present 
site of the Baptist Chapel, but failing in this he gave a loyal 
support to the parish, and when Mr. Caryl was ordained in 
1762, entertained the council at his own expense. He mar- 
ried, Apr. 26, 1739, Mehitable Sherman. Children: John, 
Mehitable, Olive, William, Unity, Josiah, Olive. The date of 
his death is not recorded, but he is buried in Dover. 

JOSIAH RICHARDS was born on the Rev. Dr. Burgess 
farm in Dedhani Sept. 22, 17 13. He was the son of Edward 
and Sarah (Wheeler) Richards, and was descended in the 
fourth generation from Edward Richards of Dedham. He 
made the original Richards settlement on Strawberry Hill, 
(the farm owned by the late Miss Mary Bullard) in 1737. He 
married, Sept. 22, 1737, Hannah, daughter of Nathaniel and 
Joanna (Ellis) Whiting. Children: Lemuel, Moses, Hannah, 
Asa, Sarah, Thaddeus, Josiah, Solomon, Mary, Lucy, Abijah, 
Jesse, Betsey. He died Oct. 24, 1771, and is buried in Dover. 

JONATHAN WHITING was born in Dedham Nov. 8, 
1696. He was a son of Jonathan and Rachel Whiting and 
was descended in the third generation from Nathaniel Whit- 
ing, who came to America in 1638 and settled in Lynn. He 
later took up his residence in Dedham. Jonathan Whiting set- 

II 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

tied the homestead on Springdale Avenue (the McNamara 
farm) in 1725. He was a prominent man and the first pre- 
cinct treasurer. He married, Jan. 27, 1725-6, Anna Bullard. 
Children: William, Anna, Jonathan, Daniel, Elizabeth, Abi- 
gail, Nathan, Ithamar, Jemima, Hannah, Aaron. He died 
Feb. 28, 1764, and is buried in Dover. 

DANIEL CHICKERING was born on the homestead on 
Haven Street Dec. 30, 17 18. He was the son of Nathaniel 
and Mary (Thorp) Chickering and was descended in the 
third generation from Nathaniel Chickering of Dedham. Dan- 
iel Chickering lived on the original Chickering homestead 
which was settled by Nathaniel Chickering about 1690. He 
served on the committee appointed to prepare timber for the 
first meeting-house. He married, in 1745, Kezia, daughter 
of Thomas and Elizabeth (Morse) Ellis of Medfield. Chil- 
dren: Elizabeth, Kezia, Nathaniel, Lydia, Joseph, Daniel, 
Simeon, Jesse. He died April 11, 1790, and is buried in 
Dover. 

JOHN GRIGGS came to the parish from Brookline. He 
married. May 28, 1741, Mrs. Mehitable Ellis, who died Sept. 
18, 1757. He married, secondly, May 4, 1763, Sarah Wight, 
widow of David Wight. He sold his farm on Dedham Street 
to the Rev. Benjamin Caryl, and moved to Hubbardston, 
Mass. 

ABRAHAM CHAMBERLAIN was born in Roxbury, 
Dec. 20, 1 72 1. He was the son of Abraham and Mary (Whit- 
ney) Chamberlain and was descended in the third generation 
from Abraham Chamberlain of Newton who was probably a. 
son of William, the Puritan of Woburn. Mr. Chamberlain 
did not long continue to live in the Springfield Parish, and 
his career has not been further traced. 

We feel what it means to have an organization standing genera- 
tion after generation, for every great principle; how its very existence 
ennobles all who look up to it; how it has a strange power over us, 
over our imaginations, and over our emotions and over our loyalty. 

— Samuel McChord Crothers. 



12 



OLD HOUSES NOW STANDING. 

HOUSES NOW STANDING WHICH WERE BUILT 
BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 

"What hometeads greet us all around, 
That call to mind the good old ways, 

What spots of consecrated ground. 
Tell us of grand heroic days." 

IT has been thought worth while to preserve the witnesses 
that still remain among us of the sturdy founders of this 

town/ in the houses which they built. There are still 
standing, in different parts of Dover, some of the staunch 
old dwellings from which came forth the men who a cen- 
tury and a half ago made the parish. Other witnesses speak 
to us in the roads they built, in the fields they cleared and 
tilled, and in the trees they planted; while the very stones 
in the cemetery which mark their graves and record their 
names are crumbling into dust. Surely the good that men 
do lives after them. 

Hezekiah Allen of Medfield, a carpenter by trade, as well 
as farmer, settled the Pegan Hill farm, on Pegan Street, in 
1723. This is a farm which once paid the parish tax and 
sent favored sons to college. It is believed, and this belief 
is borne out by tradition in the family, that the part of the 
present house east of the front door is the original house as 
built by Hezekiah Allen, to which additions were made in 
later years. The southeast room, always known as the 
"front room," was a part of the original house. Its exposure 
and style of wainscoting indicate its age. The kitchen in 
the rear, which for many generations was the family living 
room, with its huge fireplace, brick oven, and low ceiling 
still remains. Here on cold winter nights, with the permis- 
sion of Mrs. Allen, the neighboring Indians often slept with 
their feet to the fire and their bodies wrapped in blankets. 
They always arose in the morning to be treated to a hot 
breakfast before taking their departure. This house was used 
as a smallpox hospital, during epidemics of this disease ; here 
the young men and women of the town were inoculated for 
the smallpox and treated during the illness which followed. 
At such times bounds were established and no one was al- 
lowed to go beyond the bounds. From this old house three 

^Dover was formerly the Springfield Parish in Dedham. 

13 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

boys went to college, and several inmates did Revolutionary 
service. 

James Draper built a house and settled the farm owned by 
the late William Slavin on Farm Street, in 1725. As his de- 
scendants have long since died or moved away, it is impos- 
sible to determine just when the present house was built. It 
is, however, not improbable that the house now standing on 
this farm is the one first built here by Joseph Draper. Its 
situation, arrangement, and style of architecture is that of the 
1 8th century. The brick used for building purposes in the 
vicinity — the Benjamin H. Dorr and Irving Colburn houses 
with their brick ends — was burned on the Draper farm. In 
settling his father's estate in 1753 Joseph Draper received "6 
rods of clay ground." The fact that the lower part of the 
chimney in this old house was originally built of stone indi- 
cates that it was erected before bricks were burned on this 
farm. Slaves had a suffrage existence in the colony of Mas- 
sachusetts Bay for many years previous to the Revolution. 
There can be no dispute that for more than a century before 
a slave set foot on the soil of Georgia, men, women, and chil- 
dren were bought and sold and held by leading citizens of 
this parish, and on the death of their owners they were 
mentioned in their estates as property. On this farm slaves 
once worked. Joseph Draper received from his father's 
estate a half ownership in his negro man. In this old house 
William Draper, who graduated at Harvard and later be- 
came a prominent and distinguished citizen of Michigan, 
was born. Here tw^o sons of Joseph Draper, Joseph, Jr., 
and James, both of whom took part in the Revolution, were 
born. 

The Draper Smith house, now owned by Robert S. Minot, 
on Smith Street, originally stood on the farm of David Morse 
at Medfield Junction. It was built somewhere between 1730 
and 1740. This house was occupied during the Revolution 
by Lieut. David Perry, Medfield's most prominent citizen 
during the Revolution. When Amos Wight of Medfield 
married and established his home in Dover, in 1790, he pur- 
chased this house and moved it to the estate in the west part 
of the town, now owned by his great grandson, George Bat- 
telle. In 181 2 Mr. Wight built a new house and Draper Smith 
bought this house and moved it to its present site on Smith 
Street. It was moved across the fields, at which time the 
tavern keeper was present and mixed grog for the company 

14 




I. THE DRAPER SMITH HOUSE, 

3. THE JOSEPH CHICKERING HOUSE. 

5. THE DANIEL CHICKERING HOUSE. 



2. THE WHITING TAVERN. 

4. THE JOSEPH DRAPER HOUSE. 

6. THE DAVID FULLER HOUSE. 



OLD HOUSES NOW STANDING. 

who were engaged in the work. As originally built, this old 
house had a long, slanting roof in the rear, brick oven, slid- 
ing shutters, wainscoted rooms, cupboards, oak beams, shaved 
shingles, hand-split laths and clapboards, which were fastened 
by hand-made wrought iron nails. 

Joseph Chickering built the Glassett house on Haven Street, 
on land which was a part of his father's farm, as early as 
1747, and possibly before that date, as he married several 
years previous. From this old house four boys went to Har- 
vard College, and here Elias Haven, who was killed at the 
Battle of Lexington, was reared. Mr. Chickering died in 1754 
and the farm soon passed out of the family name, but it has 
long remained a place of interest. The first school-house in 
Dover was built just east of this house, and the school here 
established is of great interest. All the children who received 
school training in Dedham for nearly a century after the set- 
tlement of the town, had to go to Dedham Centre for instruc- 
tion. In 1717 the difficulty of sending all the children to one 
school, from all parts of the extending town, called for a 
remedy, at which time it was voted "to have the school re- 
moved to several parts of the town." When, or where the 
first school was taught in the Springfield Parish is not a mat- 
ter of record. A separate school was established in what is 
now Dover, May 11, 1726. It was founded by descendants 
of those, who on January i, 1644, established in Dedham the 
first free school to be supported by general taxation, which 
the world has ever seen. Five pounds was appropriated for 
this school by the town, and Eleazer Ellis, Senior ,and Na- 
thaniel Chickering, both of whom lived on Haven Street near 
the first school-house, were appointed a committee to manage 
its affairs. In this act we find the germ of the prudential 
school committee-man ; and the district school, both of which 
later became mighty factors in the educational system of 
Massachusetts. In this school (now the Sanger School) the 
first woman in Dedham taught, and here the first woman in 
the town taught a winter school. These are proud distinctions, 
when we recall how largely the work of public school educa- 
tion is today carried on by women. Here in the closing years 
of the colonial existence, many prominent men taught school 
and exerted a powerful influence on the community. 

Elbridge L. Mann's house on Main Street was built by 
Ebenezer Battle, who settled this farm in 1752. The land on 
which he built was probably a part of his father's estate. He 

15 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

sold this place in 1761 and moved to his father's farm at the 
corner of Main and Haven Streets. Mr. Battle was the cap- 
tain of the Springfield Parish Company of Minute Men, 
sixty-five of whom marched at the Lexington Alarm. This 
house with its southerly exposure and beautiful elm in front, 
is an interesting and picturesque old landmark, and was the 
home in 1761 of Nathaniel Battle who was the first resident 
of the parish to enter Harvard College. Here in the years 
that have passed has been illustrated the entire evolution of 
a New England home. "The great, eventful Present hides 
the Past; but through the din of its loud life hints and echoes 
from the life behind steal in." 

Richard Bacon built in 1756 a house on that part of his 
father's estate, which is now the James McGill farm on Main 
Street. The small farm house on the east side of the street 
is the house built by Richard Bacon. This house was occu- 
pied by the owners of the farm until 1820, when William 
Cleveland built the house now owned by Mr. McGill. This 
house represents a type of a one-story house which was very 
common in the early settlement of the parish, although many 
one-story houses had a broken roof, which made larger cham- 
bers. When this old house was repaired, some years ago, two 
doors were put in which are still in use that are said to have 
come from the house in Cambridge where General Washing- 
ton made his headquarters. The farm at that time was owned 
by Eugene Bachelder who belonged to an old Cambridge 
family. This house was occupied during the Revolution by 
David Cleveland, who served in the last French and Indian 
War, also at the Battle of Lexington. 

John A. Sullivan's house on Strawberry Hill, ofif of Wil- 
sondale Street, was built by David Fuller in 1755. This is 
the only one of the old houses under consideration which is 
unoccupied. This style of house was built previous to the 
Revolution and was continued afterwards, being very com- 
mon at the beginning of the 19th century. This type w^as 
followed a little later by the style of house illustrated by Irv- 
ing Colburn's (1804) although only two houses in town were 
built with brick ends. Another type of house which was very 
common a century ago is illustrated by the house owned by 
the late Daniel Richards on Dedham Street. Large families 
occupied these old houses, in fact, that was what they were 
built for. David Fuller here had nine children born to 
him. Mr. Fuller rendered a Revolutionary service, and 

16 



OLD HOUSES NOW STANDING 

represented the parish on various committees to raise men 
to go into the Army. His son Daniel did guard duty when 
seventeen years of age. The parish voted in 1791 to grant 
Thomas Larrabee three pounds for a cow he let Daniel Ful- 
ler have for going into the war in 1780; Daniel Fuller later 
enlisted in the Continental Army. 

Col. Daniel Whiting's tavern on Dedham Street was built 
in 1761. It is still a spot of great interest, as the place where 
all public meetings during, and for many years after the 
Revolution, were held. Here matters pertaining to town, 
church, and state were discussed ; here the Sons of Liberty 
gathered, and on the green in front of the tavern the Minute 
Men assembled on April 19, 1775, and on the same green for 
many years the annual muster was held. Here the shrewd 
farmers for a century traded and swapped horses. The 
dance hall, and store, where so many thousands have gathered 
in the years that have long since passed, can still be seen in 
connection with the old tavern. This was the post office from 
1829 to 1875; here was witnessed in 1821 the pathetic scene 
of an adjourned town meeting, at which the poor were bid off 
at public auction, not to the highest bidder, but to the lowest 
bidder for food and clothing. Daniel Whiting took the most 
prominent part of any citizen of Dedham in the Revolution, 
having the rank of a Lieutenant Colonel. He sold this estate 
in 1783 and immediately loaned every dollar to the Common- 
wealth in her sore need without security, a sacrifice which it 
is well for the present generation to remember. 

The late Charles Plympton's house on Centre Street was 
built by John Fisher in 1767. Like all the other old houses in 
town, it was owned by one who did service in the Revolution. 
Fisher Bridge, in the immediate vicinity, was named for the 
family of which Mr. Fisher was a member. He died in 1778 
and the farm passed into other hands. The house was re- 
modeled by George E. Otis, Esq., in 1873, but retains the 
original frame and covering. 

Daniel Chickering, who inherited the original Chickering 
homestead on Haven Street, built the house now owned by 
George Ellis Chickering in 1767. The house was remodeled 
by the present owner on the one hundredth anniversary of 
its erection. Daniel Chickering served in the Revolution with 
his three sons, Daniel, Jr., Joseph, and Nathaniel. This was 
the home of Jesse Chickering when he entered Harvard in 
1814, also the home of Daniel Chickering, Jr., who was "a 

17 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

student in physick" in 1784. The old well beside the house 
with its picturesque well-sweep is of abiding interest, as it 
has now satisfied the thirst of man and beast for more than 
two hundred years. The bricks in the chimneys of this 
house were burned at a time when brick-making was an 
industry on the Clay Brook road. These bricks through the 
years that have elapsed, have been set and reset, as the oc- 
casion has demanded in building or rebuilding on this farm. 

Frederick H. Curtiss's house on Dedham Street was built 
by Ebenezer Richards, who came from Newton and settled 
in the Springfield Parish in 1769, and the same year built this 
house. This is a good specimen of the "simple, spacious, ra- 
tional" houses of our ancestors, "which any family, large or 
small, can adapt to its ever-varying needs without injury to 
their comfort." This farm once had a cider mill, an institu- 
tion which was originally found on almost all early settled 
farms. It also had a blacksmith shop, where Deacon Calvin 
Bigelow for many years did his own blacksmith work. Simi- 
lar shops were located on many other farms in town. Eben- 
ezer Richards took part in the Revolution and was a corporal. 
He died in 1784. and his death is recorded as the fir^t to occur 
in the town of Dover. 

Ralph Day's house on Dedham Street, foot of Strawberry 
Hill Street, is one- of the old houses of the town, but the date 
of its erection cannot be fixed. This estate was early settled, 
and the house with its slanting roof in the rear is of the pre- 
revolutionary type of architecture. It is believed to be the 
house in which Deacon Ralph Day lived. He was a carpen- 
ter, and did most of the building in the vicinity. Mr. Day 
took part at the Lexington Alarm, and was for many years 
a most prominent citizen of the parish. 

"Americans we are not, if we continue to let our life stories, our 
traditions, and early experiences as a people slip away without a most 
strenuous effort to save them. Should not every true American par- 
ticipate in the eflfort to record and place at their proper position these 
events ? They form the very backbone of our nation's existence." 



18 




I. THE EBENEZER BATTLE HOUSE 

3. THE JOHN FISHER HOUSE^ 

5. THE HEZEKIAH ALLEN HOUSE. 



2. THE EBENEZER RICrtARDS HOUSE. 

4. THE RALPH DAY HOUSE. 

6. THE RICHARD BACON HOUSE. 



I 



APPENDIX, 

T is an interesting fact that in the one hundred and forty- 
five years of its existence, the First Parish Church has 
had only ten deacons. 



JOSEPH HAVEN, who was associated with Ralph Day 
in the deacon's office in the organization of the church in 
1762, was born in Framingham in 17 12, and was descended 
in the fourth generation from Richard Haven who came to 
America in 1644-5 ^^^ settled in Lynn, When twelve years 
of age Joseph Haven went with his father to live in Hopkin- 
ton. There he remained until 1757, He was a deacon in the 
Hopkinton church, a member of the board of selectmen, an 
assessor and town treasurer. He was a shoemaker by occu- 
pation. After the death of his first wife, who bore him seven 
children, he married in the Springfield Parish, in 1757, Mrs. 
Rebecca (Newell) Chickering, widow of Joseph Chickering. 
At the time of his marriage he settled on his wife's farm on 
Haven Street with his young family. He was a prominent 
citizen and served the parish faithfully for many years. He 
had reason to remember the horrors of the Revolution from 
the start, as his son, Elias Haven, was killed at the Lexing- 
ton Alarm, In August, 1777, Joseph Haven purchased five 
guns for the parish. He was given a note by the parish for 
eighteen pounds and fifteen shillings with interest, which 
"was the first cost of the guns." In 1778 he spent seventy- 
one pounds in the purchase of clothing, which was furnished 
to soldiers. 

The next year this sum was returned to him by the parish. 
He was interested "in putting his sons to learning," two of 
whom graduated from Harvard College, one becoming a sur- 
geon, and the other the much beloved, honored, and respected 
minister of Rochester, New Hampshire, In 1789 Deacon 
Haven made the school in his district a present of thirteen 
pounds, six shillings, and eight pence. Haven Street — on 
which he lived — was called for him when the streets in Dover 
were named. When the Christian Endeavor Society of the 
Evangelical Congregational Church was formed it was named 
in honor of this respected deacon of the First Parish Church, 
a name which it still bears, Dea, Haven died Feb, 22, 1801, 
and is buried in Dover. 

19 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

DEACON EBENEZER NEWELL, son of Ebenezer and 
Elizabeth (Bullard) Newell, was born in Needham Oct. i8, 
1736, and was descended in the fifth generation from Abraham 
and Frances Newell, who came from Ipswich, England, and 
settled in Roxbnry in 1634. Ebenezer Newell lived on Wal- 
pole Street on the Eben Higgins farm. He took an active 
part in the Revolutionary contest. When the town of Ded- 
ham, in 1774, passed a vote, forbidding the inhabitants to 
drink any kind of India tea, Mr. Newell was appointed a 
member of a committee of three, in this parish, to see that 
this vote was complied with, and to post the names of any 
who violated the order. He was a member of a committee 
chosen Sept. 29, 1777, "to hire suitable men to go into the ser- 
vice from time to time of the United States of America." He 
was a lieutenant in the first Boston regiment in 1776. He 
served at Fort Hancock on Cape Elizabeth in Maine. He 
guarded Burgoyne's troops for five months in the winter of 
1777-8. He taught the parish school in 1766. He kept a 
tavern for a time and town meetings were sometimes ad- 
journed to "Newell's Chambers." He was a member of the 
Dedham Board of Selectmen, commencing his service in 
1764, and a town assessor in 1766. He took care of the meet- 
ing house, and was granted an order by the parish in 1771 
of twelve shillings for "his care of the meeting house and 
sweeping it one year." When the town was organized in 
1784 he was elected a member of the first board of selectmen. 
Mr. Newell married, April 24, 1760, Elizabeth Wheaton of 
Needham; married secondly. May 17, 1773, Abigail Allen; 
married thirdly, July 13, 1776, Rachel Ames. Children: 
Jesse, Asa, Ebenezer, George, Joseph, Betsey, Polly, Sally, 
Calvin, Nabby, Rachel, Luther, Willard. He died Feb. 25, 
1797, and is buried in Dover. 

DEACON EBENEZER SMITH, son of Ebenezer and 
Lydia (Hartshorn) Smith, was born in Westwood Feb. 26, 
1747-8, and was descended in the fifth generation from Rob- 
ert Smith who settled in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1639. 
Mr. Smith cleared the land and built the first house on the 
farm now owned by Michael W. Comiskey on Dedham Street 
in 1775. It is possible that a part of the house now standing 
was built by Mr. Smith. He was a cordwainer as well as a 
farmer. He marched at the Lexington Alarm, also took part 
in fortifying Dorchester Heights. He was for many years 

20 



APPENDIX. 

a prominent citizen. Mr. Smith married, Oct. 31, 1775, 
Catherine, daughter of Thomas and Rebecca (Whiting) Rich- 
ards. Children : Lewis, Ebenezer, Ohve, Catherine, Rufus, 
Rebecca. He died Feb. 16, 1819, and is buried in Dover. 

DEACON EPHRAIM WILSON, son of Ephraim and 
Sybil (Allen) Wilson, was born on the Strawberry Hill farm 
Dec. 2, 1775, and was descended in the fifth generation from 
Henry Wilson, who settled there in 1640. Ephraim Wilson's 
father took part in the Revolution. Dea. Wilson carried on 
the old farm which for more than two hundred and fifty years 
was tilled by those of one blood and one name, and is still 
owned by a lineal descendant. He was a prominent citizen 
and served for five years on the board of selectmen. Mr. Wil- 
son married, Nov. i, 1800, Sarah Richards of Dedham ; mar- 
ried secondl}^, May 22, 1825, Lucy, daughter of Nathaniel 
and Submit (Bullard) Capen of Dedham. Children: Sybil, 
Eleazer, Isaac, Lucy, Sarah, Ephraim, Edwin. He died May 
16, 1847, Slid is buried in Dover. 

DEACON JONATHAN BATTELLE,i son of Ebenezer 
and Hannah (Allen) Battelle, was born on the Battelle home- 
stead, corner of Main and Haven Streets, Nov. 17, 1761, 
and was descended in the fifth generation from Thomas Bat- 
telle, who first appeared in Dedham in 1648. He settled on 
the farm on Centre Street, corner of the Clay Brook Road. 
He was a member of the board of selectmen and town treas- 
urer. He was deeply interested in the church. When the 
Rev. Ralph Sanger was settled over the parish in 18 12, Mr. 
Battelle took him into his family, where he remained until 
his marriage in 1819. Mr. Battelle married Mercy, daugh- 
ter of Ralph and Mary (Leland) Day. Children: Hannah, 
Jonathan, Ralph, Clarissa, Leonard, Mercy, Adaline, Isaac, 
Mehitable. He died Jan. 8, 1840, and is buried in Dover. 

DEACON RALPH BATTELLE was a son of Dea. 
Jonathan and Mercy (Day) Battelle, and was born on the 
farm at the comer of Centre Street and the Clay Brook Road. 
He was descended in the sixth generation from Thomas Bat- 
telle. Mr. Battelle bought the farm on Walpole Street now 
owned by George D. Hall. Here he reared his family. He 
was town clerk for several years, and a member of the board 
of selectmen. He married, Sept. 7, 1814, Martha, daughter 
of William Pitt and Kezia (Mason) Allen; married secondly, 
^Spelled both Battelle and Battle in the earliest records. 

21 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

Sept. 23, 1849, Rachel A., daughter of Daniel and Rachel 
(Allen) Mann. Children: Ralph A., Martha, Willard, Caro- 
line, Mary C. He died March 8, 1878, and is buried in Dover. 

DEACON JOSEPH LARRABEE, son of Thomas and 
Bathsheba (Morse) Larrabee, was born on the Strawberry 
Hill farm March 31, 1788, and was descended in the fifth 
generation from Ephraim Larrabee who settled in Charles- 
town, Mr. Larrabee's grandfather was in the French and 
Indian War, and his father rendered an essential service in 
the Revolution, being a member of General Washington's 
Life Guard. Dea. Larrabee was a great reader of the Bible, 
and a strong defender of his faith with Bible texts. The 
almanac came in for daily reading, but neither newspaper 
nor magazine was tolerated in his home. He was the last 
survivor of the old custom of standing during the long 
prayer in the church service. Few possessed more deeply 
the spirit of worship than Joseph Larrabee ; often when too 
feeble to attend the church service he would go out on Sun- 
day, at church time, and sit in the field and meditate until it 
was time for the church service to close, when he would 
return to his home. He originally willed his farm to the 
First Parish church, but subsequently gave it to the town 
to aid the worthy poor. He was a very industrious man, 
and possessed a powerful physique. He married. May 7, 
1835, Charlotte, daughter of Seth and Mary (Wight) 
Wight ; married secondly, Dec. 26, 1847, Mary, daughter of 
Caleb and Levinia (Morse) Wight. He had no children. 
Mr. Larrabee died July 27, 1873, and is buried in Dover. 

DEACON JOSEPH ALLEN SMITH, son of Draper 
and Anna (Leland) Smith, was born on his father's farm on 
Smith Street, April 24, 1813, and was descended in the sev- 
enth generation from Robert Smith of Exeter, N. H. Many 
of Dea. Smith's ancestors served in the Revolution ; his grand- 
father, Joseph Smith, took part in the battle of Bunker Hill. 
He was a prominent resident of the town, a member of the 
board of selectmen, a school committee man, and superintend- 
ent of schools, and for many years a town assessor. He also 
served on important committees. He commenced business 
life as a butcher, with carts on the road, but subsequently en- 
gaged in farming. He married, June 2, 1844, Louisa Bat- 
telle, daughter of Isaac and Betsey (Williams) Howe. Child: 

22 



APPENDIX. 

Anna Leland. Mr. Smith died July 21, 1886, and is buried 
in Dover. 

DEACON ASA TALBOT, son of Enoch and Hannah 
(Dickerman) Talbot, was born in Sharon, April 15, 1816, 
and is descended in the sixth generation from Peter Talbot, 
who came to America in 1670, and settled in Dorchester. Mr. 
Talbot's grandfather was in the Revolution and took part in 
the Battle of Saratoga. His father served in the War of 1812, 
and his son (Levi) in the Civil War. Mr. Talbot is a farmer 
and lives on Farm Street, now being the oldest resident of 
the town. He was for many years a member of the board of 
selectmen, and the town sexton. He married, April 15, 1840, 
Elizabeth Hodges. Children: Levi A., Frederick. 

The deacon occupied in the colonial meeting-house, a seat in front 
of the pulpit, where he received the contributions of the congregation. 
In addition to the offices of today he "lined the psalms" and took care 
of the property of the church. 



THE MINISTERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

I Rev. Benjamin Caryl was born in Hopkinton, Mass., 
in 1732, and died in Dover, Mass., Nov. 14, 181 1; 
graduated from Harvard in 1761 ; ordained Nov 11, 
1762, and remained minister until his death. 
II Rev. Dr. Ralph Sanger was born in Duxbury, Mass., 
June 22, 1786, and died in Cambridge, Mass., May 6, 
i860; graduated from Harvard 1808; ordained Sept. 
i6, 1812; remained minister until 1858, Pastor Emeri- 
tus until his death in i860. 

HI Rev. Edward Barker, Jr., was born in England in 
1823; graduated from Meadville in 1858; ordained 
Dec. 8, 1858; remained minister until Dec. 8, i860. 
Died in Pensocola, Florida, in 1875. 

IV Rev. George Proctor was born in Chelmsford. Mass., 
Sept. 5, 1814, and died in Somerville, Mass., Nov. 28, 
1893 5 fitted for the Universalist ministry under the 
Rev. Rufus S. Frost, settled in April, 1863, and re- 
mained minister until April, 1868. 
V Rev. Calvin S. Locke was born in Acworth, N. H., 
Oct. II, 1829; graduated from Amherst, 1849; Har- 
vard Divinity School, 1854; acting minister from 



1868 to 1880. 



23 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

VI Rev. Eugene De Normandie was born in Northum- 
berland, Pa., Jan. 3, 1832, and died in Danvers, Mass., 
March 4, 1904; graduated from Meadville 1851, min- 
ister at Sherborn, supplied the pulpit from 1880 to 
1888. 
VII Rev. George H. Badger was born in Charlestown, 
Mass., March 27, 1859; graduated from Williams 
1881, Harvard Divinity School 1888, minister at South 
Natick, supplied the pulpit from 1888 to 1892. 
VIII Rev. Obed Eldridge was born in Sandwich, Mass., 
Dec. 6, 1838, and died in Westwood, Dec. 14, 1895; 
he was self educated ; minister at Westwood, sup- 
plied the pulpit from 1892 to 1895. 

IX Rev. Philip S. Thacher was born in Staflfordshire, 
England, Aug. 9. 1852; graduated from Meadville 
in 1876, minister at Needham, supplied the pulpit 
from 1895 to 1901. 
X Rev. George F. Pratt was born in Bangor, Maine, 
April 5, 1852; graduated from Bowdoin in 1876; Gen- 
eral Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church, 1881 ; minister at Natick, supplied the pulpit 
from 1 901 to 1903. 

XI Rev. Robert C. Douthit was born in Shelbyville, 111., 
Mar. 15, 1869, attended the University of Wisconsin 
(Special) graduated from Meadville in 1893, settled 
in 1904, remained minister until Jan. i, 1907. 
XII Rev. W. Lathrop Meaker was born in Bethlehem, 
Pa., Aug. 16, 1878; graduated from Lehigh Univer- 
sity (Chemistry) 1899; Meadville, 1907; ordained 
and installed June 12, 1907. 

NOTE.— Clerks of the First Parish from its organization, 1748, to 
its incorporation as the District of Dover, July 7, 1784: Joshua Ellis, 
1748-1759, John Jones, 1759-1765, 1781-1784, Ralph Day, 1765-1767, Jo- 
seph Haven, 1767-1769, 1776-1779, William Whiting, 1769-1773, Capt. 
Hezekiah Allen, Jr., 1773-1774, 1784, Ebenezer Newell, Jr., 1774-1776, 
Ebenezer Battle, 1779-1781. 



24 



IL 



Allen, Hezekiah, Jr 3-24 

Allen House 13 

Bacon House 16 

Bacon, John 9 

Bacon, Oliver 9 

Badger, Rev. George H 24 

Barker, Rev. Edward, Jr 23 

Battle, Ebenezer 24 

Battle House 15 

Battle, John 11 

Battle, Jonathan 4 

Battelle, Dea. Jonathan 21 

Battclle, Dea. Ralph 21 

Battle, Thomas 4, 7 

Bullard, Jonathan 7 

Caryl, Rev. Benjamin 23 

Chamberlain, Abraham 12 

Cheney, John 10 

Chiekering, Daniel 12 

Chickering House, Daniel .... 17 

Chiekering, Eliphalet 8 

Chickering, John 11 

Chickering, Joseph 8 

Chickering House, Joseph .... 15 

Chickering, Nathaniel 12 

Chickering, Samuel 5 

Day, Jonathan tj 

Day House 18 

Day, Ralph 4-24 

DeNormandie, Rev. Eugene ... 24 

Dewing, Andrew 4 

Douthit, Rev. Robert C 24 

Draper House 14 

Draper, James 9 

Draper, John 5 

Draper, Joseph 9 

Eldridge, Rev. Obed 24 

Ellis, Benjamin 10 

Ellis, Joshua 2-24 

Ellis, Josiah 6 

Ellis, Timothy 7 

First Woman Teacher 3 



Fisher House 17 

Fuller House 16 

Gay, Ezra 7 

Griggs, John 12 

Haven, Elias 15 

Haven, Joseph 19-24 

India Tea 20 

Jones, John 24 

Lanabee, Dea. Joseph 22 

Locke, Rev. Calvin S 23 

Mason, Seth 8 

Meaker, Rev. W. Lathrop 24 

Merrifield, Thomas 4 

Metcalf, Samuel 2 

Newell, Ebenezer 3-24 

Newell, Dea. Ebenezer 20 

Parish Clerks 24 

Parish Wood Lot 5 

Post Office 17 

Pratt, Rev. Geo. F 24 

Proctor, Rev. George 23 

Richards, Josiah 11 

Richards, Thomas 8 

Richards House 18 

Sanger, Rev. Ralph 23 

Slaves 4, 14 

Sons of Liberty 17 

Smith. Dea. Ebenezer 20 

Smith, Dea. Joseph A 22 

Smith House 14 

Sufl'olk Resolutions 5 

Talbot, Dea. Asa 23 

Thacher, Rev. Philip S 24 

Whiting, Jonathan 11 

Whiting Tavern 17 

Whiting, William 24 

Wight, 'David 10 

Wilson, Dea. Ephraim 21 

Wilson, Henry 6 

Wilson, Nathaniel 6 

Wood, Jabez 9 



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